The son of Roberto Fernández Magriñat, an 84-year-old Cuban doctor missing in Torrejón de Ardoz, Madrid, has been arrested and sent to provisional prison while investigations are underway regarding his possible involvement in his father's death, whose body has yet to be found.
The arrested individual is 51 years old, also practiced medicine, and had managed a clinic in the same area of Madrid, as reported by Telecinco.
Roberto disappeared on the morning of September 7 in the Virgen del Pilar street area, where he was last seen around 9:30 a.m.
The cardiologist, born in Havana, was suffering from Alzheimer’s and had been more disoriented than usual in the previous days. His family reported his disappearance to the National Police the same day and circulated alerts in an attempt to locate him.
However, the investigation took a turn just three days later. On September 10, the police arrested her son, and subsequently, a judge ordered his provisional detention.
Despite the arrest, Roberto's body has yet to be found, remaining one of the main mysteries of the case.
Orlando, brother of the missing doctor, told Spanish media that the initial explanation provided by his nephew was that Roberto had fallen at home.
"He said that his father had fallen, that he put a bandage on him, he fell asleep, and when he woke up, he was gone," he recounted. According to his account, the son claimed to have no idea where his father was and even considered reporting his disappearance.
Upon learning of the arrest, Orlando expressed his indignation and confirmed that his nephew is still in provisional custody.
"My nephew, who for me is no longer my nephew, remains in provisional detention," he stated.
Roberto's brother also stated that the detained individual may have a criminal record related to another homicide, for which he had reportedly been incarcerated and is awaiting a trial in December. This claim, made by the family member, has not been officially detailed by the authorities in the information available regarding the current investigation.
The family also does not know if, in the event that a crime is confirmed, another person could have been involved.
"We do not know if he was the material author, if he had help, or if he sent someone. That is something we do not know," Orlando explained, making it clear that these are currently questions from the family themselves.
The investigation is in the hands of Group XII of the High Police Headquarters in Madrid, specialized in kidnappings and disappearances, along with agents from the Torrejón de Ardoz Police Station.
For the family, finding Roberto remains the priority.
"We don't know where the body might be. What we do know is that if he has been arrested, it's because they have found evidence that it could have been him," expressed his brother.
Roberto Fernández Magriñat was born in Havana and worked as a cardiologist in Cuba before settling in Spain, where he also developed his professional career and started a family.
His brother described him as "a superprofessional" and a person "without reproach." Alzheimer's had been diagnosed about eight years earlier, and his decline had progressed to the point where he needed assistance to manage.
Orlando was trying to keep in regular contact with him.
"There were times when I regained my mind, but it was complicated," he recalled.
Now the family hopes that the investigation will reconstruct what happened after Roberto was last seen on September 7, and, above all, determine where he is.
"What we expect is for Justice to act as it should, with rigor and firmness," stated Orlando.
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